Imagine it’s pouring rain for days on end, and you live near the Mississippi River. Not a far-fetched idea for many. With rain comes rising river waters and possible flooding. To prepare for such events, monitoring the river is essential but much harder to do if the levee surface isn’t safe for travel. That’s why projects like this one are important to the people living near and around the White River Backwater Levee.
Congratulations to the Memphis District and our Project Partner, the White River Drainage District for completing the White River Backwater Levee Gravel Resurfacing Project in Phillips County, Arkansas, on Feb. 10, 2021.
This completed construction milestone was a 15-mile gravel resurfacing project completed by A-Rock Construction. 2019 flood damage supplemental funds paid for the project.
“The maintenance of the levee crown is important to maintain a safe and effective means of monitoring levee conditions during flooding events, as stated earlier,” Project Manager Jairus Stroupe said. “Additionally, it protects the levee to prevent damages from ponding water and excessive traffic. This levee roadway section is also vital to long-haul trucks providing fuel to the Graham Burke Pumping Plant.”
Without these pumps operating at full capacity, more than 150,000 acres in the White River Levee and Drainage District and the citizens living there would be at risk during high water events.
The Project Delivery Team members responsible for seeing this project through to completion are Project Manager Jairus Stroupe, Technical Lead Biobaragha Dambo, GIS Engineer -- Lindsey Barrios, Contracting Specialist Sequoria Wilson, Real Estate Specialist John Green, Cost Engineer Conrad Stacks, and contract oversight and administration by the Wynne Area Office.